hi sis glamorosa_mom, medyo bata pa naman baby mo. but if you are in doubt (see some symptoms below), please do see a developmental pedia. these are common signs kasi on children on the spectrum. early intervention is always better kasi. i have shared this at SP din. my pamangkin can point but is speech delayed and is undergoing OT and ST because he is suspect for ASD (autism). he's generally a happy kid din (even before diagnosis).
hi sis latinagirl, how is your son doing? did you go as far as gfcf diet?
let me just share again, dito naman sa GT. he was first checked last july 2010 (2y 10months). these were his noticeable behaviors then:
- do not respond to his name
- would drag you to his request (toy, food etc)
- can't point to objects
- lines up toys/things
- stacks up toys/things
- hyperactive
- loves to run around in circular pattern
- very picky sa food
- babble unknown words
- overly focussed on TV
- parang walang pakialam
note: he was here sana for vacation lang but grand parents insist to make him stay kahit mapaso ang visa niya because of the situation and delay in development.
i really feel for the parents, who are not here. we make it a point that we show the love for the kid. for 3 months of OT sessions with some practice session at home and a LOT of massage therapy na tinuro sa Life, he has made remarkable difference. now (at 3y 1month) he can:
- say some words (eat, read, open close, give)
- identify his name/ looks when called
- follow certain instructions
- name all the members of the family (even the dogs)
- loves to point and identify things (huge improvement)
- very seldom na lang mag line ng toys
- now eats more food (pero ayaw talaga ng malagkit)
- identify, point and name all the letters (as in), some colors, common animals
- if want something, he doesn't just point it, he would tell you the action for it. like "open" or "give/borrow"
- loves jollibee LOL, lahat ng sulok na may jollibee, ituturo and will say "jabee" bulol lang) pero we give him 1pc chicken lang. no to french fries anymore
- can utter 2-words like "read book", "eat fish" and "ayun tito/tita" etc
- not much hyperactive, learned how to wait and ask for one more
although his progress is really a milestone for us and for him, this are the common toddler milestones that he has not shown:
- can not answer yes/no questions
- still no kwento of his experience
- hardly asks for help (more practice pa talaga)
and siyempre we are hopeful na he will engage more words on his sentence/s.
he has started his speech therapy just last week of september. we are very hopeful for more improvement. he still do OT (2xweek).
these are the normal routines that i think had helped him and may help also other moms out there:
- show and name lots of common things, letters, colors, animals
- OT is really a big help. what we do is imitate his lessons (on his notebook) at home.
- strict enforcement of NO when he does something wrong (especially if he push other kids)
- cut down chocolates and soda and other foods with preservatives
- food is more of rice rather than bread. we have also opted for canola oil (I was able to call DAN Phils already and pinipilit namin sundin yung mga suggestion nila, except for the milk)
- sing children songs with him, with action for him to imitate (good choice is if you're happy and you know it, then change the actions, like hug lolo, touch nose etc)
- show and name most body parts
- we cut down his tv time, 1-2hrs a day
- when watching tv, make sure he is not alone. make it interactive
- expose to more people and children
he still have some bulol words and his lyrics are not so perfect but is better. if the word is familiar, tugma naman sa lyrics eh. hehe. we would laugh but correct him when he says "nack" for "X". now its "X". that's in short span lang like 2weeks.
we want to do gfcf but it is difficult kasi nga he is picky eater and milk is a big part of his diet. gluten free most of the time but not totally. we really removed bread kasi it has yeast. i have noticed he has gained words when we removed preservatives/processed food.
i am hopeful that on his next visit (this oct 13), hindi na autism yung makita. but we can accept whatever it is. in case autism pa rin, we do plan of visiting DAN clinic. i am hopeful that soon, he will be more engaged to conversations. God bless and kudos to all the moms out there doing the best they can for their children.